Hamstead Marshall Pit is a geological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

north of

Hamstead Marshall Hamstead Marshall (also spelt Hampstead Marshall) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is located within the North Wessex Downs. The population of this civil parish at the 2011 census was 275. Location ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. This former gravel pit exposes gravels of the River Kennet, which were deposited around 450,000 years ago, during the Anglian ice age. Flint hand axes found on the site may be even older, showing that early humans were active in the Middle Palaeolithic in the area.

References

{{SSSIs Berks Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire Geological Conservation Review sites Hamstead Marshall